[Asterisk-Users] Cisco 79xx firmware

[Rich Adamson]

CDW and other large resellers like them have a difficult time selling
service contracts. The issue is they _must_ provide Cisco with a serial
number (of the phone) which is checked by Cisco to see if the company
wanting the contract was the original phone purchaser. If the phone
is a used phone (from any number of used equipment resellers), they
won't write the service contract unless the phone is recertified, etc.
CDW is then caught in the crossfire where they really don't have the
people resources to address the recertification and contract sales
effort. Cisco still wants CDW (and other new equipment resellers) to
sell contracts, but basically those high-volume resellers are limited
to contracts on new equipment only. Of coarse, the entry-level sales &
telemarketing people hired by firms like CDW aren't trained or even
knowledgable on Cisco's license terms, etc, and will frequently take
orders on used equipment that they cannot complete. Been there, tried
it, and have been around the Cisco block for 20+ years.

Essentially it all boils down to Cisco trying to push new equipment
verses used/recertified equipment and trying to limit the used equipment
market.

If one actually looks at the cost of buying a new 7960 with a license
(as an example), verses buying used and having to jump through all the
road blocks, buying new with a license is cheaper (under $300 US now).

As a side note, there are some used equipment resellers that do have
the connections to say a phone is recertified and will drop the phone
onto an existing customer account, but the majority won't mess with it
given the profit margins, etc. For all practical purposes, there is
absolutely nothing that a reseller can do in the recertification
process for a 79x0 phone other then paperwork; there is not even a way
for these folks to remove the software that was installed on a used
phone. The _only_ thing they can do is prove the phone is in workable
condition and reinstall some cisco-perscribed firmware.

Note: I don't work for Cisco or any of their resellers.

------------------------

> Hi,
> as far as I know, you can't actually buy the firmware, you have to get
> the service contract, I talked to the guy at CDW who talked to his Cisco
> guy, and they told me to buy a $92 service contract.
> 
> hope that helps..
> 
> On Wed, 2006-02-22 at 10:34 +0100, Tomislav Parèina wrote:
> > I have several Cisco 79xx phones (7905, 7920, 7940, 7960, 7970, ATA 186) and I need to buy 
firmware for them. I have contacted http://www.cdw.com and http://www.insight.com/ but they didn't 
respond.
> > 
> > Can anybody tell me where can I buy SCCP and SIP firmware for my phones?
> > 
> > BTW, I'm in Croatia (Hrvatska). I heard that location does matter.
> > 
> > P.S.
> > My local Cisco reseller wants to sell me technical support agreement which cost around 75$ for 
every phone!
> >